in N

The 'fancy dress' group

These nouns refer to things that people wear. We include here chains and plaster.

This use is very productive. The pattern can be used with any noun group referring to clothes, for example in jeans or in a blue dress, and also with colour words, for example in red. Many of these nouns in this pattern are sometimes used to indicate someone's situation as well as their clothes. For example, in rags means 'very poor' and in chains means 'in prison'.

I love working in period costume.

Guests were told to come in fancy dress.

They even posed for photographs in their finery.

Armed men in uniform drift in and out of the shadows.

in armour

in chains

in civvies

in costume

in disguise

in drag

in fancy dress

in mourning

in plain clothes

in plaster

in rags

in uniform

in ... costume

in ... dress

in ... garb

in my finery

Uniform also has the pattern into N.

They are pressing people into uniform because of dwindling recruitment.